nanoZen 070
80 x 80mm

Private collection

nanoZen 071
80 x 80mm
Private collection

nanoZen 072
80 x 80mm
Private collection

nanoZen 076
80 x 80mm

nanoZen 077
Elemental Dragons Tetralogy
"Air Dragon (Spirit of Gas)"
522 x 110mm

Private collection
Collection of La Neige of Kyoto

nanoZen 078
Elemental Dragons Tetralogy
"Water Dragon (Spirit of Liquid)"
522 x 110mm

Collection of La Neige of Kyoto

nanoZen 080
Elemental Dragons Tetralogy
"Earth Dragon (Spirit of Solid)"
522 x 110mm

Collection of La Neige of Kyoto

I had never seen drawing like this.

Well, I'm not sure that I might call them drawings, though the figures in the frames look like drawing works often seen.

nanoZen, the monochrome visual, I heard that they were drawn with ball point pens, mass produced ballpoint pens which are sold everywhere.
Then, drawing on soft, familiar drawing papers that not special papersfor artists.
JINMO told me that he made it with dotting very small dots.
Materials, drawing method for nanoZen is quite simple.
Every dot which is the origin of the name "nanoZen", it is fine as human hair and sometimes it's finer than hair.
I heard a lot about nanoZen though, it doesn't ring a bell anything at all.

Anyhow, I realized that it was an encounter with the unknown all above my head and found the answer such as the words on the beginning, it has passed as much as half a year since I first saw nanoZen.

However, I've been strongly attracted to nanoZen still, it's because of making process with automatism.
JINMO says that it would be close to tongues (Glossolalia).

On making process with automatism, he artist's intention should be eliminated as much as possible physically and mentally.
If it was drawing, the image that appears as a result thereof would be called automatic drawing.
Unlike normal drawings, automatic drawing would not aim to set some motives or to complete the drawing.
By doing so, open the artist himself to the realm of the unconscious, an attempt to look into another side of the world which is usually hidden under rational control, it is also the one of exemplary method in Surrealism.

Making process on automatism is the one of the most interested research subject for me since I found Andre Masson the practitioner of automatic drawing in surrealisme.

I had looked for clues for automatism the side of the action of the　artist, that the capture from the physical relation in particular,　While I interviewed numerous times with JINMO who has known as an　eminent guitar player, I found that he also had a profound knowledge of the world of hand drawing, and his extremely delicate well honed physical sense for hand drawing, and that.I've been attracted to the world of nanoZen.

While I have researched his making process of his visual art "OpticArt" such as Bakuboku (Explosive Calligraphy), GaV and nanoZen which are opposed to his acoustic art "SonicArt" as he called, I found that he is the proficient calligrapher.
"Zanshin" (a state of awareness; of relaxed alertness) on every brush stroke, the attentiveness runs throughout his works, the skill to sublimate the temporal momentum to representation, the extremely keen senses of balance on visualization ability, and so on.
Although it had started for researching Automatism, I was so impressed to know that JINMO has extremely visual and physical senses not only as a guitarist but also as an excellent calligrapher. It is unexpected but biggest result in this research.
The co-starring of a musician and a calligrapher has already known among a lot of his fans, as his high performance that playing guitar and doing Bakuboku at the same time.

Although JINMO told me that he had started drawing nanoZen suddenly, I'm sure that the soil for nanoZen had been exist in him, and the seed which is blooming into nanoZen would been prepared in advance but unintentionally.

Therein I do rejoice.
In brief, the advent of JINMO as a visual artist is like a ray of light in the dark which has the possibility to decipher nanoZen as a transfiguration of pathways in quest of making process as same as automatism by the artist Masson. nanoZen might be a vibrant, living clue to decipher automatism in modern times.

By the way, the reason why I felt nanoZen as quite new thing that I haven't seen, I was wondering artists would never try to drawing with particles which can not be seen.
Artist draws drawings to see. And the smallest unit for the artists would be capturable light particles by their own eyes.

JINMO's nanoZen, it is the vestiges of long continuous engraving of uncapturable dots without microscope.
The making process also transient thing that update the limits of physical sense directly straight in the time axis.
At first glance, it can be considered as a form of drawing though, it doesn't have reality such as the elegance of the shadow fell by chance for daylight. nanoZen, it might be the attractive pictorial form sublimated with his singularity as a calligrapher.

It might be automatism in literal meaning. And it is so interesting and I'd like to consider more longer.

JINMO told me that he had most influenced by Akutagawa and Picasso, I inflate my imagination that his philosophy which is the root of his expression had been cultivate with his wide-ranging friendship among Taro Okamoto, Kazuo Ohno and more.
His avant-attaque being fed to the moment is every single tiny dot compose nanoZen, and the shadows made of automatism actions that arranging dots, I think it might be the vestiges.

It is a projection of the memory of JINMO, it would be also a projection of the world's memory as well.
I wonder that automatism is the door of perception to connect the practitioner and the world as Andre Masson thought so.
And we perceive the result as their works from the door with the hands of practitioners.

nanoZen works are the one of his expressions.

However, the basis of the uniqueness of JINMO's art is probably formed with everlasting affirmation to the whole of creation so innocently.
His expression is a manifestation of "Keep your mind clear, smile, free and easy. Never limit yourself” in consistency, and the releasing of his inexhaustible energy bring the new things that no one ever knows to this world, and it attract the audience, makes them excited and cheered up.

Then he split the border that is filled to the existing ones, he show us an encounter with the unknown in the best situation, always.

translated by Ageha Avant-attaque

About nanoZen / JINMO

In the birth of "Calligraphy", the original implication was major paradigm shift finding not only the information on letters but also "abstract beauty" as a reflection of mental imagery (reflection of imagination) of calligraphers from the form of letters which was merely media for transmit information.

In Zen Buddhism, as a purely abstract phase which is void but reflects of mental imagery of calligrapher,"Ens?" was born . Calligraphes abandoned their framework as letters so far and it emitted purity of abstract beauty.
This was another major paradigm shift as calligraphes had abandoned the function of letters.

It is sequence to "abstract calligraphy" in nowadays, the letters had abandoned the diagrammatical form on their own, it is not two-dimensional "visual art" any longer.
It is "progressive art" which destroys own categorization and various identities, such as "temporary art" which records own velocity on the brush stroke, or "spatial art" which affects　external element shown in framed works or hanging scrolls.

However, since the late 20th century, calligraphy ends up with fixed style for adaptation or copying of precursors. Calligraphy lost the intrinsic, anarchic energy to explode the tradition, to step forward from precedents. That's the reality of calligraphy.

"nanoZen" is a "phenomenon" it reflects mental imagery of calligrapher which is based on original calligraphy.

It is energy for further progress since abstract calligraphy.

It intends for the reality to live through digital age as being impossible to replicate with any digital photography or scanning. it rejects the replication in forte of the digital age..
It is "experience of outstanding uniqueness".
Yes, nanoZen asks inevitably "experience in actual encounter face to phase".

"Drawing nanoZen", it would be restricted because of very fine, microscopic brush stroke which is invisible without microscope.
However it would be free from the intention of calligrapher in “how it will be" as the relationship of each brush stroke which lead to completion of the work.
In auditory expression, it is analogous to"Glossolalia" which appears in the New Testament in ancient times, and also known as the Pentecostal Glossolalia in nowadays.

When you confront with nanoZen, face to phase, the depth of recognition would be changed every moment by the depth of your vision.
（*When you confront with nanoZen, face to phase, how deep you can recognize the details, it would be changed every moment by the depth of your vision.）
With various aspects, nanoZen begins to morph into your own "reflection of imagination".

JINMO awarded Prix de Caroline Lee at 30th Salon de Finears Exhibition.
JINMO submitted his microscopic BAKUBOKU drawing to 30th Salon de Finears Exhibition and it has awarded "Prix de Caroline Lee", Caroline Lee Award.
We received a certificate of commendation as above.
The Judge, Ms. Caroline Lee is a sculptor, honorary and former chairwoman of "Salon de Mai". Salon de Mai is very famous art exhibition in Paris known as Picasso and Chagall had submitted their artworks in their life time.
She really appreciated JINMO's work, they had dine together and enjoyed talking through an interpreter for 3 hours at a cafe near the gallery, though it was their first meeting.
In this conversation, they determined to hold their collaborative exhibition with Caroline Lee and JINMO in Japan this year.